CHAPTER 10 Flashcards
mosaic evolution
a pattern of evolution in which the rate of evolution in one functional system varies from that in other systems
Hominid refers to what?
all great apes and humans together
Hominins could carry objects starting at what time
6-7 mya (because of bipedalism)
When was stone usage suggested?
3.4 mya
Paleoanthropology
the study of ancient humans- can include geologists, archaeologists, etc
Taphonomy
study of how bones and fossils come to be buried in the earth
Paleoanthropology uses these four methods to make conclusions
dating, paleoecology, archaeological traces of behavior, and and anatomical evidence
importance of the great rift valley
fault, active volcanic processes, fossils
Relative dating
based primarily on stratigrophy, and principles of superposition
issues with stratigraphy
geologic disturbances can move objects, impossible to accurately determine dates
fluorine analysis can reveal what based on age?
more flourine accumulates during the fossilization process
radiometric dating
uses potassium 40 as a technique, inoraganic materials are dated through themoluminescence
Paleomagnetism
a technique based on the constantly shifting nature of the magnetic pole- .7mya-present = NORMAL
2.6-.7= REVERSED
3.4-2.6=NORMAL
?-3.4=REVERSED
Faunal Correlation/biostratigraphy
Based on the regular changes seen in evolving groups of animals as well as the presence or absence of particular species
is the most common residue of prehistoric cultural behavior
stone
what is a flake
Flake- thin edge fragment removed from a core of a stone
what is a core?
Core- stone reduced by flake removal may or may not itself be used as a tool
what does lithic refer to?
stone tools
what are knappers?
people who make stone tools
what is direct percussion?
striking a core or flake with a hammerstone
what are microliths
- small stone tools usually produced from narrow blades punched from a core, found in Africa during the latter part of the Pleistocene
what are phytoliths?
microscopic silica structures formed In the cells of many plants, particularly grasses
what is environmental determinism?
an interpretation that links simple environmental changes directly to a major evolutionary shift in an organism. Such explanations over simplify the evolutionary process
why and why are stable carbon isotopes produced?
produced in plants in differing proportions depending upon environmental conditions
Jolly (1970) and Lovejoy (1981) tried to do what?
link ecology, feeding, and social behavior to why bipedalism arose.
who thought of Jolly- seed eating hypothesis, requires bipedalism is a result of an adaptation to eating seeds and nuts on the round
Jolly
what were Lovejoy’s theories
looks to feeding, pair bonding, infant care, and food sharing, assumed K selection, males provisioning females, and monogamous relations
What were Dean Falk’s theories
suggest that an upright posture put severe constraints on brain size, suggested that new brain cooling systems evolved with bipedalism (known as radiator theory)
